We enjoyed reading Zhang et al.’s (2015) outline of the current use in psychiatry of smartphone apps aimed at patients and the public. However, we noticed there was little comment on the emerging role of tablet and mobile phone apps in dementia.

The National Dementia Strategy was launched in March 2012 by Prime Minister David Cameron at the meeting of the G8 countries in London (Department of Health 2012). Exploring the role of technology, including smartphone apps, in dementia was one of its core goals. The Dementia Challenge issued at this meeting focused on three main areas for action: driving improvements in health and care; creating dementia-friendly communities; and improving dementia research. The dementia-friendly communities strand led to the production of the Dementia Friendly Technology Charter (Alzheimer’s Society 2014), the goal of which is to provide information for people with dementia and their carers on how to make technology work for them.

The Charter describes that in early dementia, brainteaser games or apps, life history exploration and recording tools can stimulate memory and cognition. In late-stage dementia it is noted that various apps can provide visual or auditory stimulation and can also aid communication (Alzheimer’s Society 2014). However, the charter does name specific apps which could be of benefit. Thus, for people with dementia and clinicians alike, it is easy to see how it could be hard to locate the most relevant app – both...

We enjoyed reading Zhang et al.’s (2015) outline of the current use in psychiatry of smartphone apps aimed at patients and the public. However, we noticed there was little comment on the emerging role of tablet and mobile phone apps in dementia.

The National Dementia Strategy was launched in March 2012 by Prime Minister David Cameron at the meeting of the G8 countries in London (Department of Health 2012). Exploring the role of technology, including smartphone apps, in dementia was one of its core goals. The Dementia Challenge issued at this meeting focused on three main areas for action: driving improvements in health and care; creating dementia-friendly communities; and improving dementia research. The dementia-friendly communities strand led to the production of the Dementia Friendly Technology Charter (Alzheimer’s Society 2014), the goal of which is to provide information for people with dementia and their carers on how to make technology work for them.

The Charter describes that in early dementia, brainteaser games or apps, life history exploration and recording tools can stimulate memory and cognition. In late-stage dementia it is noted that various apps can provide visual or auditory stimulation and can also aid communication (Alzheimer’s Society 2014). However, the charter does name specific apps which could be of benefit. Thus, for people with dementia and clinicians alike, it is easy to see how it could be hard to locate the most relevant app – both the iOS App Store and Google Play have in excess of one million apps available to download!

To help make it simpler to find safe and trusted apps, the NHS launched the Health Apps Library (http://apps.nhs.uk/) in March 2013. It recently contained 26 apps categorised under mental health and three apps separately categorised under dementia: Talking Point; Coventry and Warwickshire Dementia Information Portal; and iReminisce (accessed 17th September 2015).

Talking Point (available from the both the iOS App Store and Google Play) is an app to access the vast amount of information in the Alzheimer’s Society’s online support and discussion forum. The Coventry and Warwickshire Dementia Information Portal app does not appear to be available from the usual outlets. However, a link on the Coventry and Warwickshire Dementia Information Portal Health Apps Library page leads to a website about living well with Dementia. The iReminisce app (which requires a £12 annual subscription) allows one to create a video/photo/audio diary, browse stock photos, audio clips and video from different eras, and create a family tree. The developer claims this app will help alleviate loneliness, promote socialisation, and that “it is proven to improve wellbeing for those living with a cognitive impairment such as dementia”. They cite no evidence to support this claim.

As outlined in the Dementia Friendly Technology Charter, there is great scope for use of technology (in particular tablet and mobile phone apps) to improve the lives of individuals with dementia. The launch of the NHS Health Apps Library is a welcome step in helping guide the public and clinicians to helpful smartphone apps. However, we found very few dementia-related apps and none supported by an evidence base. Thus, it remains a challenge for clinicians to know which apps, if any, we should be recommending to our patients. There is a gap in the market for a dementia app supported by a robust evidence base!